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At today's meeting of 2500 elders, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said, "I don't trust the Americans and they don't trust me." Has he changed his mind about the troop deal confirmed just yesterday by Secretary of State John Kerry? Also, by "detonating" the nuclear option, the Senate changes the rules on filibuster. On today's Talking Point, the first women to complete combat training graduated today, but they won't see front-line action any time soon.

Banner image: Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during the opening of the Loya Jirga, or grand council, in Kabul November 21, 2013. Photo: Omar Sobhani/Reuters

Democrats today detonated the so-called "nuclear option," changing Senate rules so the Republican minority can no longer use the filibuster to block the President's judicial nominations. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called it "nothing more than a power grab in order to try to advance the Obama Administration's regulatory agenda." Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid explained, "For too long, Washington has been in gridlock, gridlock, gridlock. The American people are sick of this. We're sick of it." Aaron Blake covers national politics for the Washington Post.

Just last night, Secretary of State John Kerry announced a deal to keep some American troops in Afghanistan after next year's withdrawal. "The agreement will speak for itself when the agreement is approved…We have agreed on the language that would be submitted to a loya jirga, but they have to pass it." Today, the President of Afghanistan said it might not be signed until next year. It's all about the continued presence of some American soldiers after most foreign troops leave the country. Is this another of Hamid Karzai's diplomatic maneuvers? Will the traditional meeting of 2500 tribal elders that's meeting on Afghan security, approve the troop deal? How many soldiers are needed to hold off the Taliban and protect Afghanistan's regional interests, and how long will the US be willing to pay the bills?

The Marines' infantry program requires candidates to spend long days and nights in primitive conditions and to complete a grueling 20 kilometer hike with 85 pounds of gear. For the first time today, three women graduated from the Marine Corps Infantry Training Program at Camp Geiger, North Carolina. Today's graduation is part of a closely watched experiment for integrating women into combat. Jim Michaels, military reporter for USA Today, looks at what might be next for them.